max tracks

just had a look at those gratemates. Very interesting and more versatile; thinking of getting one for my upcoming birthday. Thanks for that.
JS

Gratemates looks very like Enviro-walk GRP grating. I wonder if it would be a lot cheaper to buy it that way?

The Driver training Unit of the SAAFWDC will have demo's at the show that will include maxtrax. John C

Hi all,

Grate mates or equivalent are okay in all situations except mud where they are hopeless.

You just can't get traction, the holes fill with mud, it then weighs a ton when you try and move it , then were do you put it - when its jammed up with all that mud - when you're out. I speak experience of four days of hopelessly being bogged in Rudall River NP with a set of these.

MaxTracks are easier to clean and use and give superior grip in mud.

ATB

Hey, very good point Phil.

You may have just swayed me the other way, as I have no "known" need for bridging ladders.


Bill.

Hi Stephen, was that on your trip of the Simpson last year?????

Hi Deanna

Spot on, when we did the Simpson after doing the Anne Beadell.

Oh that lovely mud!!!!

Give me sand any day.

Cheers

Stephen

Yukkk, Stephen. I don't mind sand but that mud!!! A winch would have been difficult in that situation too.

We thought it looked familiar, we saw the result of where you were bogged, was a bit firmer when we went across but still would have gone down if we hadn't stayed on those firmer tracks. It's all good fun.
Cheers
Deannna

Hi Allan and Deanna

Allan, that was taken 4 days after we met you at Oodnadatta. I should have known better, but was told by a group we met 2 dunes before Lake Poeppel that it should have been OK. The biggest problem was that were were sucked right into the mud, and prior coming to a complete stop, my diff was leaving a 4" grove in the mud. You learn by your mistakes and that will be one mistake that I will not fall into again.

Deanna

We were very lucky, as within 2 days of getting out and making it into Birdsville, the desert was dumped again with another 3" of rain and the desert was locked down for 5 days. The joys of all that rain out there. I like a good number of EO members became victims of the Simpson mud last year and it would be very interesting to see just how many there were.


Cheers

Stephen

Allan B - "A winch would have been difficult in that situation too".

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Yes but do-able :-)

Cheers Tony

Stephen, we wanted to come home via The Simpson after the Beadell trip too but it was not possible, maybe fortunately! We finished up going right up to Tennant Creek and the Barkly etc. I'll tell you more in a MM.

Jesus pal you got youself in a bit of a pickle there. I would've thought a lake like that would've had a detour around it. Good thing someone was there to get you out.
Muffin Man

"I would've thought a lake like that would've had a detour around it."
They do have detours around them Muffin, it's just you have the choice of the 5 to 20 KM long way around track or take a chance on 500m of mud. Once one car makes it of course everyone thinks they can too but who's to say the first guy didn't have 35" mud tyres let down to 8 PSI with a thumping V8 pushing them :-)
Cheers Craig................

Hi Muffin man

We have been across Lake Poeppel many times, and a few times looking far worse that it did that time. Two dunes before reaching the lake, we met a group of 4 vehicles, and as you do we had a quick chat. I asked about the condition of the crossing, knowing that there was a detour track available.

Weather it was because we were travelling solo and they wanted a bit of fun with us, we will never know, but they said the lake was no problems and to head straight through. When I mentioned the detour, they said not to use it.

Once we were about 500 metres into the crossing I knew that it was the biggest mistake and well we did make it around another 200 metres and then it was out with the MaxTrax.

Like I said above, I was making slow progress backwards, the length of the actual Maxtrax and would then sink down again. The longest part was trying to grab the actual MaxTrax out of the mud under the car, as they would sink down will over 8" into the mud and that was a job in itself to get them out.

With our rate of recovery, it have taken all the rest of that day, or even into the next, but we would have got out. If we never had them and no one did come along, it would have been a very expensive recovery, costing thousands of dollar.

From past experience, recoveries would cost $1.50 per kilometre both ways from where the recovery vehicle came from, plus $150 per hour from the time they left. So adding all that up you can see why some peoples recoveries are from $4000 and up. So for the price of under $300 for the MaxTrax, they do make the self recover a very cheap piece of insurance, and you them have them for the next recovery......not that you ever want that to happen.

Cheers

Stephen